One week left and not much holiday spirit

According to my employer, my maternity leave is called "bonding time". I received a call from the FMLA company confirming my return date to work. Ugh. I wasn't ready for THAT call. So I have one more week of bonding time with my baby...the end. Like most other mother's in this country, I work. Therefore, I am being stripped of my time with her. I feel like somebody is trying to pry my screaming baby out of my arms. By American law, we only need 6 weeks before they deem us fit to return to work. Screw that and screw them. I took 13 weeks and I STILL think that's too short. Kudos to you, California, for also saying screw that and giving mother's 6 months to cherish this time. I'm not ready, work. I'm not ready to say goodbye to sleeping in with Josie next to me in bed. I'm not ready to say goodbye to morning walks, noon naps and afternoon hikes. I'm not ready to hand you over to another person for feedings, diaper changes, laughing, snuggling, and holding. You are too young and it's too soon. I hate this.

Thanks for raining on my holiday parade, work.

Flying high with the baby

Josie is almost 3 months old now. We thought it was high time she took her first flight. Actually, it was my need to get out of town and take a little trip before I am back to work. She did great! I wish I could say the same. I ended up getting sick on the last day....but it was worth it, every moment.

Thanksgiving in Anacortes

loving the leave

I have been off of work for 6 weeks now. I really can't believe how fast it's gone by. I have only 7 weeks left to soak in all this time off!!! I am kind of freaking out about going back to work. How am I going to squeeze in my Mommy & baby hikes, coffee and yoga class? I love this life.

I am also freaking out about how fast Josie is growing. I want her to stay a puppy forever. I want her to stay a little baby and cuddle with me all the time, but sleep through the night and never cry. Can they do that?

The view from the Grandparents window

My parents made a wonderful photo album of their trip to the NW to meet Josephine. Follow this link to see the experience from their eyes.

Meeting Josephine

A month into it

Josephine is just over a month old now. She finally met her Grandpa & Grandma from Maine. What a fun week with lots of firsts. Her first trip to the pumpkin patch, her first winery, her first day at the hotsprings, and her first dinner out at the brewery. Ok ok ok...so her life is pretty sweet.

Wow....3 weeks

I can't believe my babygirl is 3 weeks old today. I also can't believe that I have been working around the clock for 22 days now. I am super surprised that my body is handling this. I just looked at the photos from the birth and can't believe how much Josie and I have changed. I have already lost 32lbs...only 10 more lbs until I am back to pre-pregnancy weight!

Josie is getting so much stronger now. She can lift her head and hold it up for a couple minutes. She has learned that pacifiers are not cool...she only wants Mommy and Daddys pinky fingers. Her focus is intense as she stares into your eyes. She loves to take hikes in the ergopack and is sleeping for longer sessions at night. This week, she's letting me sleep for 4hr intervals at night. Her crying is becoming much louder and more frequent, which tests our endurance, but she quickly comes out of it within a couple minutes.

I love being her Mommy and am savoring every moment of this. A few pics from week 3 and one from her birthday to see the changes.